Book Review: The Rules of Magic (Alice Hoffman)

Like I have mentioned previously, I have been looking for books that would get me into the Halloween spirit. Enter, the newest release by Alice Hoffman, The Rules of Magic. I was pleased to find out that this book was a prequel to Practical Magic. Now, I have never read Practical Magic but I watch the movie every year around Halloween and always enjoy it! It was a no-brainer to move this book immediately to the top of my TBR pile.

I went into this novel with no expectations. The first thing I noticed was how whimsical the book felt and how paranormal/supernatural it was not. It sort of had a folktale vibe to it and I was almost expecting for a black cat or a frog to talk at any moment but I was shocked that there really wasn’t any “witchiness” to it.   Aside from a few moments, this book could have been just a run of the mill outcast story. I know that this story is supposed to be more in the “magical realism” genre instead of a pure supernatural story but it didn’t really get me into the Halloween spirit, which was what I was looking for.

Other than that, the story was fine.   I liked the characters and I was glad to be semi-familiar with them. I enjoyed getting a bit more backstory into the family and into their past. It is obvious that Alice Hoffman is a phenomenal author so I did enjoy her writing style but this wasn’t 100% my cup of tea.

I do feel like other readers would really enjoy it, especially if they enjoy magical realism.

 

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for a digital copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.